The Focus Cast

Welcome to the FocusCast on this episode we’re talking about the pomodoro technique. So bro, pomodoro Italian for tomato, what are making sauce now on the focuscast? Not Exactly, today we’ll dig into this task/time management technique and see if it’s worth looking into.

00:00 Intro to the Promodoro Technique
00:35 Intro to Podcast
01:05 Problem: Solopreneurs struggle with focus
 04:45 What is the Pomodoro Technique
09:02 How The Pomodoro Technique helps focus

PROBLEM: 

• Mo Fos can’t focus bro, so today we’re talking about the pomodoro technique to see if it’s a task/time management system that may be helpful for the solopreneurs and side hustlers out there. First lets hit a few Stats on our inability to focus.
• (Harvard Business Review):  Smartphone and tablet use is spiking, and we now use digital media for an average of over 12 hours per day. This 
• hyperconnected state does not allow us to process, recharge, and refocus. We increasingly are overwhelmed with distractions flying at us from various connected devices
• Studies indicate that we spend anywhere from 35%–55% of our time, and sometimes much more, in meetings. (WTF)
• We’ve covered these things before
•  Notifications, pointless meetings, cluttered desks, not setting boundaries, constant distractions, poor diet, poor sleep quality. 

So what is the Pomodoro Technique: The OG time blocking by Francisco Cirillo: found a tomato shaped kitchen timer and the technique was born. 

• Choose your assignment/work to do
• Set the timer to 25 minutes
• Work until the timer rings
• Take a five-minute break
• Take longer breaks (15 to 30 minutes) for every four pomodoro intervals

SOLUTION:

• (NIH)  The idea is to break bigger tasks into smaller ones with uninterrupted focused work, followed by breaks to relax your mind. Regular breaks are important to do efficient work. After you finish each pomodoro, you will feel a sense of accomplishment. You will also gain a blueprint of your productivity. 
• It helps to plan how many pomodoro intervals you need in a day to finish your tasks. Complete the required number of intervals and, voila, you have accomplished your work within a preplanned timeframe. Use your break time to take a short walk, check on a family member, call a friend, stretch, meditate, deep breathe, doodle, refill your water bottle or do anything that makes you happy.
• (Forbes) A 25-minute Pomodoro session is long enough to get a little work done but not so long that it feels painful or overwhelming. Unlike trying to work without a break for hours, it’s relatively easy to stack small sessions on top of each other. Four Pomodoro sessions can represent a productive morning. It’s surprising how much you can accomplish in short bursts of focused work
• Talk about your experience with time blocking. 

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#focus #solopreneurs  #PomodoroTechnique

Welcome to the FocusCast, today our guest is TJ SHEDD, Owner and CEO of Hit Network. We will hear how he leads a team that manages multiple content brands, earns millions in revenue and his systems of habits of focus.  Let's welcome our guest…

00:00 Intro to Interview w. TJ Shedd
00:20 Intro to Podcast
01:00 Rapid Fire w. CEO TJ Shedd
09:30 What it takes to get to 1 million subscribers on Youtube
11:11 Top 3 metrics
12:30 Why live is the best
16:30 Time blocking
19:00 Always more content
21:00 Accountability in business
22:10 Accountability in life

SHOW NOTES:

ABOUT TJ & HIT NETWORK RAPID FIRE
 
Q’S ABOUT THE COMPANY
What is the name of your company? Hit Network
What is your title? Owner/CEO
When did you and your business partner launch? 9/1/20
What was your 2022 revenue? $4M
How many employees do you have? 34
Who is your target customer? Individuals with a desire to learn about digital assets.
What problem are they trying to solve? Understanding a new & complex technology and market (Crypto)
How are you solving that problem?  We provide free content and education around Crypto and Web3 tech.
I heard free, how the hell do you make money?

Q’S ABOUT MANAGING A CONTENT BRAND
How many "channels/brands" does Hit Network manage?
How many total subscribers do you have across all channels?
What main channels do you use to engage your audience?
What channel generates the most revenue?
What are your top three metrics you track on a weekly basis?
What trends do you see for 2023 as it relates to your business?
What would be the top pieces of advice you would have for someone starting a content brand?

That was great… a lot of people desire to run a successful business or even be youtube famous.. So let’s get into some habits that help you focus.


PERSONAL FOCUS HABITS

What systems/habits do you maintain to stay focused?
Time Blocking (Episode #12)
Routine
Reflection (Episode #47)
Accountability Group
Goal setting (Episode #11)
Journaling

What systems/habits do you maintain to keep your company focused on company goals?

Trello
Slack
Goals
EOS
Everyone responsible for numbers
Regular check in on progress

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#focus #dream #selfactualization

Welcome to the FocusCast today our topic de jour is BIOHACKING. Ooooohhh sounds sci fi-sh, like we’re about to merge man and machine. No double, but what the hell is biohacking, is it even worth looking into? In this episode let's see if we can hack the body’s biology. Let’s dig in..

00:00 Intro to Biohacking & Focus
00:32 Intro to Podcast
01:00 Why Biohacking
02:51 Are you a Grinder
04:50 NUTRIGENOMICS and Biohacking
09:50 What is the Solution to Biohacking

WHY BIOHACKING
We’re talking about biohacking. It’s been popping up more with supplements, workouts, health, fitness, tech, whatever it may be to FAST TRACK your body goals. First let’s look at the definition.

WHAT IS BIOHACKING?
From dictionary.cambridge.org: scientific experiments with biological material, especially genes, done by people who are not official experts or scientists.
Attempts to improve the condition of your body and mind using technology, drugs, or other chemical substances such as hormones.
Basically a buzzword for doing things to your mind or body to make them funcion better.

ARE YOU A GRINDER?
Grinders (Wikipedia): are a self-identified community of body hackers. Many grinders identify with the biopunk movement, open-source transhumanism, and techno-progressivism.[3][4][5]

The Grinder movement is strongly associated with the body modification movement and practices actual implantation of cybernetic devices in organic bodies as a method of working towards transhumanism.[3][6]
This includes designing and installing do-it-yourself body enhancements, such as magnetic implants.[3][6] Biohacking emerged in a growing trend of non-institutional science and technology development

TRANSITION TO NUTRIGENOMICS:
While this is interesting we’re talking about the Nutrigenomics side of biohacking
Nutrigenomics (Cancer.gov): The study of how food affects a person’s genes and how a person’s genes affect the way the body responds to food. Nutrigenomics is used to learn more about how genes and diet together may affect a person’s health and risk of developing diseases, such as cancer. It may also help find new ways to prevent and treat disease.

Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Numerous studies in humans, animals, and cell cultures have demonstrated that macronutrients (e.g., fatty acids and proteins), micronutrients (e.g., vitamins), and naturally occurring bio-reactive chemicals (e.g., phytochemicals such as flavonoids, carotenoids, coumarins, and more) regulate gene expression in diverse ways

Many of the micronutrients and bioreactive chemicals in foods are directly involved in metabolic reactions that determine everything from hormonal balances and immune competence to detoxification processes and the utilization of macronutrients for fuel and growth. 

Gene expression is the process by which the information encoded in a gene is turned into a function.  ASo this gets pretty complicated but if you fuck with biohacking, do your own deep dive into nutrigenomics and gene expression. 

SOLUTION
Here’s song things our body expects or things we can do for overall health

• Eating real food: we literally become what we eat and we need to provide our cells with the proper shit to replicate. Focus on healthy fats
• Reaching States of autophagy (talked about on the fasting teas #52)
• Viewing sunlight in the morning: This sets our circadian rhythm 
• Don’t stuff your face all the time: This puts strain on the body and can spike your blood sugar multiple times a day depending on what you eat
• Exercise and meditation
• Not viewing screens before bed
• Cold showers

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#focus #dream #biohacking

Welcome to the FocusCast today we’re talking about fasting teas. What the fuck is a fasting tea, is this just some marketing gimmick to sell more Tea, or does tea actually help you fast? Great question, and that is what we are talking about today. Let's dig in…

00:00 Intro to Fasting Teas
00:30 Intro to Podcast
01:00 How Tea and Fasting can Increase Focus
 
BENEFITS OF DRINKING TEA
So we’re talking about fasting teas. We’ve talked about the benefits of green tea (Episode #36) and fasting (Episode #40). Lets hit a quick recap of tea / fasting benefits.

TEAS HAVE POLYPHENOL ANTIOXIDANTS
ncbi.nlm.nih.govHerbal Teas are well-known to contain an abundance of polyphenol antioxidants and other ingredients, thereby implicating protection and treatment against various ailments, and maintaining overall health in humans

TEAS PREVENT CANCER
National Library of Medicine Green tea consumption has been linked to the prevention of many types of cancer, including lung, colon, esophagus, mouth, stomach, small intestine, kidney, pancreas, and mammary glands [33]. Several epidemiological studies and clinical trials showed that green tea may reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.

THE STUDY
WebMD One large study in Japan followed 40,000 adult participants over 11 years, and found that daily green tea consumption was linked to lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease. In particular, the study was examining the link between the polyphenols (antioxidants) in green tea and cardiovascular diseases. The minimum daily consumption required to see this benefit was five cups per day.

BENEFITS OF FASTING

FASTING MAY BE BETTER THAN DIETING
Mayo Clinic:  Research suggests that intermittent fasting may be more beneficial than other diets for reducing inflammation and improving conditions associated with inflammation, such as: Alzheimer's disease, Arthritis, Asthma, Multiple sclerosis, Stroke

FASTING & EXERCISE CAUSE AUTOPHAGY
Cancer.gov Fasting & exercise causes Autophagy which is the process by which a cell breaks down and destroys old, damaged, or abnormal proteins and other substances in its cytoplasm (the fluid inside a cell). The breakdown products are then recycled for important cell functions, especially during periods of stress or starvation.
AUTOPHAGY PREVENTS INFECTION
Cancer.gov Autophagy also helps destroy bacteria and viruses that cause infection and may prevent normal cells from becoming cancer cells. Basically the body’s way of “Cleaning house” 
 
SO WHAT THE FUCK IS FASTING TEA?
So after researching the internet for “fasting tea” it turns out it’s a label put on basically any type of tea to drink while you’re fasting. Long story short tea can help curb hunger pains and make fasting easier overall. Depending on the time of day you can make caffeinated or non caffeinated types of tea. 
 
TYPES OF TEA TO CONSIDER
Green tea, black, oolong, yerba mate. 
Non caffeinated: Giner, tumerica, mint, chamomile. 
Pique Tea thoughts (Once I get samples) our code is THEFOCUSCAST
Arbor teas
Consider sourcing to avoid pesticides, micro plastics, all that shit. 
 
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Welcome to the FocusCast on this episode we’re talking about smart exercise equipment. What’s the point of all these machines with screens and paid subscriptions? Does tracking all this data even make us healthier? On this episode we discuss the pros and cons of smart exercise equipment and how it relates to focus in this bitch. Lets dig in…

00:00 Intro to Smart Exercise Equipment
00:28 Intro to Podcast
00:59 Problem: Lack of Exercise & Focus
09:42 Solution: Ways to Increase Exercise

PROBLEM: Exercise is a critical component of focus, but we don’t exercise enough. 
So we’re talking about smart exercise equipment and if they make sense for anyone or is it just a marketing ploy? Does tracking this data or having virtual trainers make us more likely to work out? 

EXERCISE TO INCREASE FOCUS
CDC: Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Being physically active can improve your brain health, help manage weight, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities. 

WE DON'T EXERCISE ENOUGH…
Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: only 1 in 5 adults in the US meets the CDC physical activity guidelines of 150 min of aerobic activity and 2 days of muscle strengthening activity per week

BUT WE THINK WE DO
WebMD Article: It’s very common to think you exercise or sleep 
more than you do. And many people think they eat less than they do. When you wear a tracker or log data in an app, you see the facts. With that info, you can set a specific and personal goal.

SOLUTION: If Smart Technology helps you Exercise… 

TRY SMART EXERCISE EQUIPMENT
Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: It is unknown to what extent this technology leads to increases in activity levels over either the short or long term. 
Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Overall, fitness technology has the potential to significantly impact public health, research, and policies.

THE STUDY
Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: 
Goal for two groups: Increase steps over 3 months
Group One: use a pedometer to self-monitor and increase 5% weekly with a goal of 10K daily steps by the end of the program. 
Group Two: was given educational materials about health and physical activity. 
The intervention group showed a significant increase in steps at 3 months and significant decreases in BMI, body fat, and waist circumference. Importantly, these results remained significant 3 months after the completion of the intervention (38). 

MEASURE WHAT MATTERS
“To get started, focus on one thing to track,” says Peter Alperin, MD, a San Francisco tech entrepreneur who does research on QS.
WebMD Article:  It can be tempting to have a long list of stats you want to track. Keep it simple. 

FIND A FRIEND
Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: In addition to behavior change techniques that focus on the individual, it is also useful to examine the effects of social factors for increasing physical activity. Social factors such as social support or competition have been shown to increase engagement, adherence, and completion in physical activity interventions. 

FIND A COACH. 
Another important strategy for increasing physical activity is coaching. This entails receiving directions or instructions from a peer or a professional. Coaching is often used in interventions and fitness technology to motivate increases in physical activity

FIND SOME SMART EQUIPMENT
Peloton, Peloton Treadmill, The Mirror (trainer), Tonal (personal trainer with resistance equipment), NordicTrack RW900
Bryan’s Peloton Story

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In this episode we talk about our next 50 episodes, what we will change in the future to better help you increase focus. We also talk about ourselves personally and what we have to look forward to in 2023. 

On this episode, we talk about what we learned after uploading 49 Episodes of the podcast. Our system, why we started and what we changed along the way. 

Let's close some shit out! Did you know there’s a phycology term for cognitive closure? Turns out seeking closure in a big part of human existence. In this episode we’re seeking closure on how closure affects our lives and relates to mental health.

PROBLEM 

• So what is cognitive closure: 
• The state in which an individual recognizes that he or she has achieved understanding of something.
• The final stage in figuratively seeing the total picture and how all pieces of it fit together. (APA Dictionary of Psychology)
• Level of Need: If you are at the top of the scale you’ll have some preferences towards predictability, order and organization. If you are on the bottom part, you’ll feel more comfortable in open and ambiguous situations, and you won’t feel that bothered with indecision. Most people though, find themselves around the middle part of the scale, to put it another way, they value order but they can live with a certain level of uncertainty.

PROS/CONS OF COGNITIVE CLOSURE

• The lack of closure leaves a situation in ambiguity. People high in need for closure seek to avoid this ambiguity at all costs where people high in need to avoid closure strive to make situations more ambiguous.
• Some perceived benefits of cognitive closure may relate to predictability, the basis for action, or social status accorded the possessors of knowledge
• Similarly, some perceived costs of lacking closure may relate to the additional time and effort required to attain closure, or the unpleasantness of process whereby closure must be reached
•  Occasionally, however, lack of closure maybe perceived to offer various advantages such as freedom from a constraining commitment, neutrality in an acrimonious dispute, the maintenance of a romantic mystery and so on
• Though lack of closure is generally thought of as being negative, it is clear that closure and lack of closure have positive or negative implications depending on the person and situation surrounding them (Wiki)

SOLUTION

• The Need for closure scale: (NFCS) 
• Webster and  Kruglanski. An updated version of the NFCS, was published in 2007 by Roets and Van Hiel. kruglanskiarie.com
• ‘a’—  measure the need for order,
• ‘b’ –- measure the need for predictability,
• ‘c’— measure decisiveness,
• ‘d’— measure avoidance of ambiguity,
• ‘e’— measure closed mindedness.
• Need for cognitive closure predicts stress and anxiety of college students during pandemic (Study National Library of Medicine)
• The unprecedented level of uncertainty associated with the pandemic may be a contributing factor to stress and anxiety, especially among individuals with high intolerance to uncertainty (Rettie & Daniels, 2021). Individual differences in need for cognitive closure have also been linked to mental distress during unpredictable situations (Berenbaum et al., 2008 (Makes sense to me)
• Finding Closure/Summary
• Find your personality type? Maybe you have a high need for closure?
• Reflect: What are you holding onto and why

Bro!! It’s about that time of year. As we wrap up another year it often becomes a time of self reflection on the past 12 months. So, what’s the point? Does it even help, what are the benefits? In this episode we’re talking about reflection and Mental health.

PROBLEM

• Self Reflection: to turn our attention inward to consider our own thoughts, memories, feelings, and actions
• So many of our habits, patterns of behavior, and pre-set programming are buried in our subconscious. They operate in a sort of “control room”, directing how we think, feel, and act, often times hurting our well-being (psychologytoday.com)
• Harvard Article: They asked 442 executives to reflect on which experiences most advanced their professional development and had the greatest impact on making them better leaders.
• We processed these reflections through the text analysis program NVivo, a software used in fields like sociology and education, to detect sentimental themes 
• Three distinct themes arose through our analysis: surprise, frustration, and failure. Reflections that involved one or more or of these sentiments proved to be the most valuable in helping learn and grow. (Harvard Business Review)
• Surprise, frustration, and failure.  Cognitive, emotional, and behavioral.  Head, heart, and hands. These parts of you are constantly in motion and if you don’t give them time to rest, they will surely fatigue. Like a muscle, your mind needs reflection to re energize and grow stronger (Harvard Business Review)
• Self-reflection vs Self-rumination: However, maladaptive levels of self-reflection, such as ruminative, self-critical thought in depression, can have detrimental consequences for health and well-being (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
• Focusing on depressed mood, problems, and other negative self-experiences has negative outcomes. Increased self-focused attention is associated with depression (Ingram, 1990, Pyszczynski and Greenberg, 1987). In particular, rumination, conceptualized as the tendency to repetitively focus on symptoms of distress and the possible causes and consequences of these symptoms (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991), is known to be a serious risk factor for depression (Science Direct)
• However, in addition to negative outcomes, self-focused attention can also have adaptive and beneficial outcomes. Self-focused attention, even recurrent thoughts such as rumination, can also be conceptualized as a process of problem-solving or self-regulation and can serve to increase self-knowledge and facilitate psychological adjustment (Martin and Tesser, 1996, Trapnell and Campbell, 1999). (Science Direct)

SOLUTION

• Reflection TookKit: (5R Framework, What, So what, What now)
• Gibbs' Reflective Cycle was developed by Graham Gibbs in 1988 to give structure to learning from experiences.  
• Description of the experience, Feelings and thoughts about the experience
• Evaluation of the experience, both good and bad
• Analysis to make sense of the situation
• Conclusion about what you learned and what you could have done differently
• Action plan for how you would deal with similar situations in the future, or general changes you might find appropriate.
• Integrated Reflective Cycle: 
• The Experience: Describe the experience
• Reflection on Action: Look at the experience and identify what went well and what could be improved. 
• Theory: Think about the experience in larger context of professional literature and your own learning and personal experience.
• Preparation: Using your reflection to prepare yourself for future 
• Keep journal, build weekly practice, meditate, long walks, read, minimal stimulation shit.  

Holidays and Mental Health 

Remember when we’d show up our grandparents house and all the food was cooked for the entire week, and we didn’t have to do shit besides eat and enjoy Christmas. Things change when you get older and you’re responsible for hosting 15 people. Or if you’re worried about political drama and outbursts during dinner. It’s no secret the Holidays can mess with your mental health, on this episode we talk about the mental juggling of the holidays, lets dig in.

PROBLEM

• So today we’re starting a little holiday series and, on this episode, we’re talking about Holidays and mental health
• So the Holidays can be stressful depending on your family/life situation and we’ve already talked about the effects of stress on the body in episode #21. But here’s a recap
• Short term stress: Stress is the body's reaction to harmful situations -- whether they’re real or perceived. When you feel threatened, a chemical reaction occurs in your body that allows you to act in a way to prevent injury. This reaction is known as "fight-or-flight” or the stress response. During the stress response, your heart rate increases, breathing quickens, muscles tighten, and blood pressure rises (WebMD)
• Symptoms(Short Term): Feeling overwhelmed, Low energy, Headaches, Upset stomach, including diarrhea, constipation, and nausea, Aches, pains, and tense muscles, Chest pain and rapid heartbeat, Insomnia, Frequent colds and infections, Loss of sexual desire and/or ability, Nervousness and shaking, ringing in the ears, and cold or sweaty hands and feet, Dry mouth and a hard time swallowing, Clenched jaw and grinding teeth, Constant worrying, Racing thoughts, Forgetfulness and disorganization, Inability to focus, Poor judgment WebMD
• Symptoms (Long Term):  depression, anxiety, and personality disorders, Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, and strokes, Obesity and other eating disorders, Menstrual problems, Sexual dysfunction, such as impotence and premature ejaculation in men and loss of sexual desire in men and women, Skin and hair problems, such as acne, psoriasis, and eczema, and permanent hair loss (WebMD)
• Misconception: The idea that suicides occur more frequently during the holiday season is a long perpetuated myth. CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reports that the suicide rate is, in fact, the lowest in December.2 The rate peaks in the spring and the fall. (CDC)
• Holidays and grief: Grief in and of itself is bad enough, but it can be magnified when the holidays roll around. That’s mainly because the holiday season is filled with reminders of the one you lost, as you’re surrounded by others who have their loved ones with them and are celebrating a season of joy and togetherness
• The pain you’re feeling is very much at odds with the celebratory spirit that’s all around you, leaving you nothing but quiet moments where you’re faced with the raw power of loss (Ouch) PathwaysHealth.org

SOLUTION

• Decide which traditions you would like to keep and which ones you would like to change, suggests What’s Your Grief.
• Create a new tradition in memory of the person you lost
• Include your loved one’s favorite dish at Christmas dinner.
• Minimize gift-giving, or skip it altogether. With so much on your mind, going to the mall or spending hours shopping online may seem like an unnecessary stress (It's mostly consumerism bullshit anyway)
• Reach out. If you feel lonely or isolated, seek out community, religious or other social events or communities
• Exercise, meditate, reduce social. The big 3 to reduce stress.